Hadley replied. “Rockport. On the Gulf Coast. Not much else is there but the Archer factory. That family has been in business for years. The founder, Leon Archer, is getting on in years, but he runs that shop like a well-oiled machine. He’s a dying breed…a good old-fashioned businessman who takes pride in doing a first class job, no matter how large or small.”
“I phoned and sent an email to Archer,” Kacey said, eager to let her boss know that she’d already considered the family-owned firm that had done quite a bit of business with Leeman’s over the years. “I just received an email this morning to contact Nona James, the quality control manager. I’m going to call her as soon as we finish here.” Kacey began to gather the papers she’d strewn over the conference table, anxious to return to her office, get on her computer and tie up all the loose ends related to her proposal.
“Don’t bother with that,” Steve stated. “Mr. Archer deserves a personal call from me. He’s a throwback to the old days…likes to do business with the person in charge. In fact, I’ll call him right now.”
Kacey watched as Steve reached for his handheld, scrolled through his address book and punched in a number. Within seconds he was talking to Mr. Archer, giving the manufacturer an overview of Kacey’s proposed swimsuit line.
“Sure, sure,” Steve agreed in an expansive voice after several minutes of conversation. “The designer, Kacey Parker, can come down, meet with you and we’ll go from there.” He turned to Kacey, placing a hand over his phone as he whispered, “He thinks he can do it. And he would like to meet with you at the plant tomorrow afternoon. Go ahead and book a flight to Rockport,” he said before returning his attention to his conversation.
“You’ll have to fly into Corpus Christi…the closest big city,” Ariana offered in a hushed tone. “Rent a car. The factory is on the outskirts of town. About half an hour from the airport.”
Kacey nodded, grabbed a pen and began to jot down the instructions that Ariana was giving her while Steve ended his call.
Once he had finished and refocused on Kacey, he told her, “Take your portfolio, fabric samples and proposal to Texas and sell this line to Archer. He’s the man we want.”
Kacey grinned, drew in a gasp of surprise and then sighed. Had her boss actually given her the green light on her proposal? Was SunKissed by Kacey going to become a reality after so many months of dreaming and planning? She pushed back her chair and stood, papers clutched in one hand, her heartbeat increasing by the second.
“Then, you’re saying, it’s a go?” she prompted, needing to hear the words from Steve Hadley himself that her swimsuit line was headed into production.
“Yes, it’s a tentative go. And if you manage a five percent reduction in overall manufacturing costs, there’ll be a nice cash bonus in it for you,” he offered, sounding strongly supportive of Kacey’s project.
“Oh, I’m sure I can do that, Mr. Hadley. Five percent won’t be a problem. Trust me. I’ll work this out.”
“I hope so. I’m impressed with your designs, Kacey, and if we can have product in stock by mid-June, I feel confident our customers will buy it.”
Kacey struggled to appear calm, though she was desperate to scream with joy. She’d been dreaming about this day ever since she started her career in retail merchandising. Now, she had a real shot at shifting her focus toward designing for the masses instead of setting up displays and running in-store contests. She could hardly wait to start the journey.
While Kacey headed toward the conference room door, Steve remained seated, looking over his eyeglasses at her as he advised, “Pack well. You might be in Texas for a while.”
“A while?” Kacey quipped, arching a shapely brown eyebrow in his direction. “Certainly Mr. Archer and I can accomplish all we need to do in a day. Two at the most.”
“No, if all goes well, I want you to stick around there.”
Kacey glanced suspiciously at her boss. “For how long?”
“For as long as it’ll take to get SunKissed by Kacey into my stores. No need to rush back here, only to fly back and forth every few weeks,” Hadley explained. “I know old man Archer will do his best to accommodate our time frame, but since this is such a rush job, and a risky midseason production as well, we can’t afford any mistakes. He and I will iron out the contract details before you get there. I want you to stay close, oversee production and ensure an on-time delivery.”
Kacey assessed Steve Hadley with dread in her heart, doubting he understood the enormity of what he was asking of her. Leaving New York City to spend God knows how long in rural Texas was not something she looked forward to. What in the world would she do for fun in a tiny Gulf Coast town with an old man as her business contact?
Suffer in silence, she guessed, prepared to sacrifice the lifestyle she loved to see her designs come to life.
Chapter 2
Back in her cubicle, Kacey immediately booked her flight to Corpus Christi, reserved a rental car and then phoned her friend Linette to share her good news. However, all Kacey got was the photographer’s voice mail, so she left a message for Linette to call her back as soon as possible, adding that she had exciting news to share.
That ought to get her attention, Kacey thought as she ended the connection. It was always difficult to reach Linette, who was constantly on the move as she traveled from one location shoot to another. Sometimes it took a week for them to finally catch up with each other due to their busy, on-the-go lifestyles.
Taking a moment to reflect on the impact of her presentation, Kacey pondered the future, a ripple of excitement feathering her insides. She’d begun working on her designs last year, using computer-assisted design (CAD) software that turned her detailed sketches into actual computer drawings. Printed pattern pieces placed on swaths of bold-colored fabric quickly morphed into the samples that she had personally sewn and fitted on models for Linette to photograph. And now, at last, Hadley was giving her the opportunity to create sexy, stylish swimwear that she knew customers would be thrilled to wear.
Hadley was damn sure impressed and Ariana is totally behind me, Kacey mused in satisfaction, realizing how much support she had at Leeman’s. If SunKissed by Kacey became the runaway hit she expected, her position with the chic retailer would open doors to all the exclusive shops on Rodeo Drive, as well as retailers like Bergdorf’s, Saks, and Neiman’s.
A competitive swimmer in college, Kacey loved challenges and loved to win. She knew her petite stature, flawless mocha skin and the thick brown hair that framed her face in curly tendrils made her look a lot younger and less savvy than she was. But at thirty-one, she had made plenty of hard decisions in her drive to become successful, and knew exactly where she wanted to go.
For more than a year, Kacey had labored over her drawing boards, studied the competition and focused on coming up with swimwear that would make such an impact on the marketplace that every retailer would clamor for her swimsuits. Even though the rights to her special label would belong to Leeman’s, Kacey knew the professional credit and boost in her fledgling design career were more than she’d ever dreamed of.
Leaving her computer, she went to stand at the large window behind her desk. Looking out, she swept her gaze over the towering buildings pressed together in midtown Manhattan. The steady rain continued to slick the traffic-clogged streets as dull gray clouds hovered above the tops of skyscrapers. She placed
